Built as commercial container ship EMILIE MAERSK in 1980, the ship was purchased by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) in January 1984 and subsequently entered the Bethlehem shipyard at Beaumont, Tx., for conversion to a maritime prepositioning ship. The conversion was finished in September 1985 and the ship entered service as MV 1ST LT ALEX BONNYMAN becoming the first ship in the Navy to bear the name.

The 1ST LT ALEX BONNYMAN was operated by Maersk Line and assigned to Maritime Prepositioning Squadron 2 at Diego Garcia. In August 2009, the ship was sold for scrapping.

About the Ship's Name:

MV 1ST LT ALEX BONNYMAN is named in honor of US Marine Corps, Reserve, 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the assault against enemy Japanese-held Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, from 20 to 22 November 1943.